Determination of arsenic and mercury level in scalp hair from a selected population in Penang, Malaysia using XRF technique

• XRF technique of measurement trace elements (As and Hg) in human hair for people in Penang, Malaysia.
• The results are measured for samples in black ashed form.
• The higher concentrations of As and Hg in the hair of town population suggests the presence of external sources of contamination in Penang environment.
• This study will be a reference for future studies to compare the ratios of As and Hg in the human hair for people in Penang.

As with many cities all over the world with active industrial developments, the city of Penang in Malaysia has also the potential of being exposed to industrial pollution. Such exposure would certainly have a detrimental impact on the environment and the people. The determination of trace elemental levels in hair which is well known as a method for environmental exposure monitoring, evaluation of heavy metal poisoning, assessment of nutrient levels and disease diagnoses. In this study, it is selected as the method to determine the possible exposure to pollutants in the form of unwanted trace elements. The natural levels of trace elements in hair are hence monitored first as reference values for the assessment of the possible human contamination levels. In this work the concentrations of As and Hg in the human scalp hair of 100 residents of Penang were determined using XRF. The results of this study are compared with the results obtained in other cities where such measurements have also been carried out.